Breech-loading small-arm.



No. 808,282. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905.

v P. T. GODSAL. BRBEOH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19.1903.

4 SHEETS-SHBET1 iinu m km 2 No. 808,282. PATENTED DEC. 26, 1905. v P. T.GODSAL.

BREEOH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19,1903

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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N 0 ,2 2. PATENTED DEC. 26 1905.

0 8 8 8 P. T. GODSAL.

BREEGH LOADING SMALL ARM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 19,1903.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

TJNTTED sTATEs PATENT- oTTioE.

BREECH-LOADING SMALL-ARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1905.

Application filed June 19, 1903. Serial No. 162,203.

Arms, of which the following is a specification.

The accompanying drawings show the several improvements constitutingthis invention as applied, for example, to a breech-loadingservice-rifle.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rifle, showing the action insection, the parts being shown in the cooked or firing position.

Fig. 2 is a planview, and Fig. 3 is aback view, of the same. Fig. 4 is aside view of the frame or receiver with the sleeve removed and partly insection. The remaining figures, 5 to 33, show the various parts of theaction in detail and will be more particularly referred to hereinafter.

This invention relates to breech-loading small-arms of the charactergenerally described in the specification of English Letters Patentgranted to me on the 8th day of August, 1888, No. 11,461; and theinvention consists in certain important modifications, additions, andimprovements in small-arms, which will simplify their construction andrender them more convenient in use and more suitable for active service.

Many of the improvements will apply equally Well to what are known asmatchrifles and sporting-guns and to servicerifles.

For convenience of description I will first describe what I may term thefixed parts of the action. Referring,then, to Figs. 1 to 4, a is thebarrel, and b the frame, which is screwed onto the barrel in the usualway. From the back of the frame I) extend bars or side plates 0, one oneach side, and these bars are formed with overhanging portions orflanges (Z at the top on the inside for a purpose to be presentlyexplained. These bars 0 are seen at Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, also at Fig.5, which is a section on or about the line A B of Figs. 1, 2, and 4 atFig. 6, which is a section on or about the line C D of the same figures;at Fig. 7, which is a section on or about the line E F of the samefigures, and at Fig. 8, which is an end or back view. These bars arekept apart by a spacing-bar e, which is secured thereto in anyconvenient manner, the said bar e also serving as the meanswherebytheaction is secured to the butt, and taken together these pieces form thebody or breechshoe of the action and may, if preferred, be made in onepiece.

In a recess in one of the bars 0 is mounted on a vertical axis a lever(See Figs. 1, 2, and 4.) This lever, which is shown in plan view at Fig.9 and in side view at Fig. 10, has two catches, and the object of thesecond catch is to act as a stop to limit the travel of the sleeverearward, and thus prevent the withdrawal of the sleeve until the catchis thrown out of action by pressing inward the tail of the lever f forthe purpose of stripping the action, as w1ll be clearly understood fromthe drawings. The first catch or end of the lever acts as an ejector, aswill be presently explained.

The rear face of the frame I) is curved or sloped backward, as shown at9, Figs. 2,4, 5, and 6, and against the incline on the right side thesleeve-lever strikes as it is raised to open the breech, and thus thesleeve, with the empty cartridge-case, will be levered or cammed backand started on its backward or withdrawing motion.

h is a notch or recess in one bar 0 (see Fig. 4) to receive the sleevelever or handle, andt is a spring-catch which is secured to the side,

of the bar and enters a slot in the sleeve-lever, as seen at Figs. 2, 4,and 5. The form of this spring-catch is shown in top or plan viewdetached at Fig. 32, the projection z entering a hole in the side of thebar to underlie the sear to prevent its moving until the action iscompletely closed. The slot in the lever is also seen in other of thedetail figures.

Theframe is provided outside with an enlargement 7c, in which is cut alongitudinal dovetail groove, and in this groove slides a bolt 1, (seeFigs. 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8,) which bolt is intended to be slid over thesleeve-lever or into a hole in it to lock the same in the closedposition, or it may be in half-open pobeing springy and adapted to clickinto transverse notches provided in the enlargement to receive it, andthus the bolt will be held in the forward or backward position, asrequired, and at the same time it can be easily withdrawn when it isdesired to oper ate the action.

The side bars a are cut away, as seen at Fig. 7, where the magazinewould come, so as to provide a space for the insertion of the magazme.

m (see Fig. 33) is a spring-slide mounted on the spacing-piecee andadapted to be slid forward, so as to close the inlet from the magazineand form what is called a cut-off to the magazine in case it may bedesired to use the arm with hand-feeding.

n is the butt, which is secured to the spacing-bar e by screws, as seenat Fig. 1, which screws also pass through the trigger-plate. The butt nis shaped at the part behind the action so as to give a good grip forbayonet work. The under side curve thus left will form a kind of hook bywhich the arm may be suspended from a rack or from the shoulder of theuser. As the arm may be made very light without reducing its firingstrength, it may be well to provide an ar rangement for clamping a leadweight to the butt, so as to obviate the kick in training recruits andto give them that confidence which is so desirable for beginners.

0 is the stock, which is secured at its rear end to the frame b by atransverse pin (1.

1" is a trigger which with its guard is placed in front of the magazine,and by this means the arm is shortened considerably, as the length ofthe butt is usually governed by the position of the trigger. I11 thisaction the body forms part of the butt and not, as in most actions, aprolongation of the barrel, and the wooden butt thus becomes,comparatively speaking, a small one.

The butt may be provided with an adjustable heel-plate to suit differentlengths of arm in the users.

, I have thus described what may be termed the fixed parts of theaction. I will now proceed to describe the moving parts. -Re ferring,then, to Figs. 12 and 13, in which Fig. 12 is a side view of the sleeveand Fig. 13 a back view, 1 is the sleeve provided at its front end withlugs 2, which enter and lock in recesses in the frame on receiving aquarter-turn in a manner now well understood. To the sleeve is securedin any convenient manner the lever 3, (preferably it forms part of it,)and at the rear end of the sleeve is an incline 4, which acts to camback the firingpin before opening the breech when the sleeve 1 isrotated by the lever 3. The sleeve is bored longitudinally to receivethe firing-pin, and near the rear end is a segmental groove or notch 5to receive a stud or rib for a pur pose to be presently explained. Inthe side of the sleeve and behind the left lug a recess 38 is formed,into which the second catch on the lever f will enter as the sleeve isdrawn back, and will thus strike against the shoul der of the recess andstop the backward movement of the sleeve. This sleeve 1 is fitted to thesliding breecl1piece 6 in such a manner that it may have axial motionthere in within certain limits. This sliding breechpiece is showndetached in side view, Fig. 14, in plan view, Fig. 15, in front view,Fig. 16, and back view, Fig. 17. This sliding breechpiece 6 is providedwith lateral grooves 7, which fit the parts (1 of the side bars a, andit is hollow internally to receive the rear end of the sleeve. Thefiring-pin and the mainspring will be fully described hereinafter. Attop the sliding breech-piece 6 is formed with a flat portion 8, andacross the front end of this flat portion the notch 9, preferably of theshape shown at Fig. 14, is cut. Across the rear end of the slidingbreech piece 6 is formed another notch or recess 10, in which acam-lever 1 1 is pivoted at 12, as shown at Figs. 1, 2, 3, 1S, and 19.Fig. 18 is a back view of Fig. 19, and Fig. 19 is a side view showingall the parts constituting the sleeve and its accessories or the movingparts assembled. Fig. 20 is a front view of Fig. 19, and Fig. 21 asection on the line G II of Fig. 19.

13 is a slot in the under side of the sliding breech-piece 6 to receivea portion of the iiring-pin, to be presently referred to.

14 is the sleeve-head, formed as shown at Figs. 22, 23, and 24, whichare respectively a plan view, a side view, and a front view. The head 14is provided with a stem 1 5,which fits into the end of the sleeve. Thehead and stem are bored longitudinally to receive the pointed end of thefiring-pin. On its under side this head 14 is formed with downward.projections 16, inside which is secured in any convenient manner a stripor piece of metal 17. This piece 17 carries a dovetail projection orstud 18, which fits into a recess formed in the under side of thesliding breech-piece to receive it, as seen at Fig. 19, and by which themetal piece 17 is held up so that it presents a smooth surfacecontinuous with the bottom of the sliding breech-piece and sleeveheadand covers up any angles which might strike the cartridge and cause itto tip up and get out of position as the sleeve is drawn back to ejectand reload. These projections 16 extend slightly beyond the sleeve-head14 on each side, as seen at Figs. 22, 23, a distance equal to the depthof the rim of the cartridge 19 (see Fig. 23) and serve as pusher-piecesto push the cartridges out of the magazine into the barrel, and theprojections serve also to support the rim of the cartridge against thepressure of the extractor when withdrawing the cartridge-case. On theleft side of the sleeve-head a groove or notch 35 is formed to serve asa path for the ejector 34, formed by IIO the front end of the lever fwhen the second catch enters its recess 38.

20 is the firing-pin, which is shown detached in side view at Fig. 25and end view at Fig. 26. This firing-pin 20 is of varying di ameters, asshown. Across the rear end 21 is made a notch 22,into which the cam 11,Figs. 1, 2, 3, 8, 18, and 19, enters as the lever is thrown over to theop osite side when the arm is cocked. (See ig. 8.) This cam 11, with thenotch 22, acts then as a looking or safety device.

23 is a piston on the firing-pin, which accurately fits the internaldiameter of the sliding breech-piece 6 and forms a guide to keep the pinsteady and an abutment for the mainspring. To this piston is attached inany convenient manner or formed in one therewith the piece 24, whichactsas a cookingpiece to be caught by the sear. The cocl ing-piece 24 isplaced to one side of the firing pin at a greater or less angle downwardfrom the horizontal plane of the axis, as will be seen in Figs. 1, 7, 8,19, 21, 25, and 26, and so that it will be in the path of the sear,which will catch against the end thereof, as will be understood from acomparison of Figs. 6 and 7.

The trigger is provided with a finger 25 at one side, which cooperateswith the tail of the sear.

26 is the sear, which is placed to one side of the action. The form ofthe sear is shown detached in plan view at Fig. 27, in side view at Fig.28, in front view at Fig. 29, and in position at Figs. 1, 4, and 6. Aswill be seen in Figs. 27 and 29, the tail 27 of the sear 26 is not inline with the latter, but to one side thereof.

.28 is the sear-spring, (see Fig. 1,) which is secured to the frame I)or to the side bar a or in any other convenient position.

29 is the cartridge-extractor, which is shown I detached in side view atFig. 30, in plan view at Fig. 31, and in position at Figs. 1, 2, 3, 7,8, 18, 19, 20, 21, and 23. The extractor is made of tempered steel andis shaped as shown. It is provided on the under side with a projection30 of dovetail or other suitable shape and is intended to slide sidewiseinto the notch 9 in the sliding breech-piece 6, which is correspondinglyshaped to receive it. (See Fig. 14.) This projection 30 is formed on itsunder side with a rib or stud 31, which passes transversely through thesliding breech-piece 6 and enters the segmental notch 5 in the sleeve 1.(See Fig. 12.) By these means the sleeve is secured in the slidingbreech-piece, but is capable of rotating therein to the required extentto lock and unlock the sleeve 1. The tail of the extractor 29 beingspringy will click into a recessed piece 32, formed on the top of thesliding breech-piece 6 to receive it, (see Fig. 19,) or it may be madewith a stud to snap into a suitable hole in the sliding breech-piece.Thus it will be seen that the extractor is quite independent and doesnot rotate with the sleeve and that it serves to hold the rotary sleeve1 in position in the sliding breech-piece 6.

33 is the mainspring, which is moimted on the end 21 of the firing-pinand is contained within the sliding breech-piece 6.

To strip the action, the user will press on the tail of the lever f androck it, so that its second catch will be clear of the recess 38 in thesleeve. The sliding breech-piece can then be withdrawn from the sidebars 0. To separate the parts of the sleeve 1, the tail of the extractor29 is raised out of its recess 32, and

the extractor is pushed sidewise, so that this projection 30 will slideout of the notch 9 of the sliding breech-piece 6 and the rib or stud 31out of the notch 5 of the sleeve, when all the parts will be free tocome apart. For convenience it may be desirable to compress themainspring 33 by cooking the action and putting on the cam-lever 11.This will hold the spring compressed while the stud 18 of thespring-piece 17 is being released from its notch and the parts are beingseparated. The camlever 11 can then be released, and the spring allowedto quietly expand, when the firingpin can be removed from the slidingbreechpiece. To assemble the action, the operations will bereversed-that is to say, firingpin replaced, spring-compressedfiring-pin locked by cam-lever, sleeve inserted, bolthead placed inposition, and dovetail 18 pushed into its place, and, lastly, theextractor 29 replaced. The sliding breech-piece is then ready to be slidbetween the bars 0, between which it will be again locked by the leverf.

With the stop-lever f is combined the ejector 34. This piece will lie inthe path of the 4 groove or notch 35, formed in a projection 16 on theunder side of the sleeve-head 14. (See Figs. 20 and 24.)

When thesliding breech-piece is near the end of its rearward stroke, thesecond catch of the lever f being forced into the recess 38 in thesleeve by a spring, the ejector 34 will project through the notch 35 andwill give the rim of the cartridge-case a smart blow, which will kick itout of the breech.

The sleeve 1 is formed with a segmental piece or rim having shoulders36, which will slide along the top of the bars 0 in opening the breech,and thus the lever will be maintained in the proper position andprevented from falling over until it is pushed forward to the properclosing position and the breech is closed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In abreech-loading magazine small-arm, a frame having feathered sidebars or guides, a breech -'piece sliding on the feathers, a sleeve-headfixed to the sliding breech-piece, a rotatable sleeve placed between thefixed head and the breech-piece and a lever for opcrating the sleeve, aspring extractor attached to the sliding breech-piece and adapted tosecure the sleeve in the breech-piece and yet be independent of itsrotation, a swinging stop-lever to limit the backward travel of thebreech-piece when in use, an ejector on the stop-lever, a firing-pincarrying the mainspring contained in the breechpiece and provided with alateral projection, a sear at one side of the action adapted tocooperate with the lateral projection on the firing-pin, a triggerplaced immediately below the breech end of the barrel and means on thetrigger adapted to cooperate with the sear, all combined, arranged andoperating as herein shown and described.

2. In a breech-loading magazine smallarm, the combination of a framehaving feathered side bars, a breech piece sliding on the feathers, asleeve-head fixed to the sliding breech-piece and a locking-sleeverotatable between the sleeve head and the sliding breech-piece andprovided with a lever-handle as herein described.

3. In a breech-loading magazine small-arm, the combination of a framehaving feathered side bars, a breechpiece sliding on the feathers havinga rotatable sleeve connected therewith, a non-rotatable sleeve-head anddownwardly-projecting lugs for pushing forward cartridges into thebreech, and a springplate attached at one end to said lugs and at theother end to the sliding breech-piece and bridging the space between thebreech-piece and the sleeve-head and presenting a plain surface to slideover the cartridges in the magazine when opening and closing the breech,substantially as described.

4. In a breech-loading magazine small-arm, the combination of a slidingbreech-piece, a locking-sleeve rotatable in the sliding breechpiece, afixed sleeve-head in front of the sliding breechpiece, an extractorlying along the top of the sliding breech-piece and means connected withthe extractor for securing the same to the sliding breech-piece and therotatable sleeve in the same, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing Witnesses.

PHILIP THOMAS GODSAL.

Witnesses:

ALFRED S. BIsHOP. A. GAsTE.

